1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to plastic containers, and more particularly, to hot-fill plastic containers having improved vacuum panels to provide uniform deformation of the container sidewall under hot-fill conditions.
2. Related Art
With hot-fill plastic containers, the container is typically filled with hot fluid product and capped while the fluid product is still hot. As the fluid product cools, a reduction in fluid volume occurs, and typically creates a vacuum within the container (i.e., an internal pressure within the container that is less than the surrounding atmospheric pressure). With certain prior art configurations, the vacuum forces inside the container can cause uneven vacuum absorption and/or uneven deformation of the container. This can undesirably affect the appearance, strength, shelf life, and/or other characteristics of the container. Therefore, there remains a need in the art for a hot-fill plastic container that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.